Purva-Mimamsa in its Sources c19.s1.16

c19.s1.16

It is interesting to note in this connection that Kaṇāda (in the *Vaiśeṣika-Sūtra* 1.1.3; 2.3.32; 9.2.3; and 10.2.9—regarding the Veda as the work of a Person (God),—has declared that *Verbal Cognition*, is nothing apart from *Inferential Cognition*, as all words emanating from *persons* provide only *Inferential Cognitions*, and there is no such thing as purely *Verbal Cognition*; hence ‘*Shabda*’ need not be regarded as a distinct *Pramāṇa*, Means of Cognition. From this it is clear that *Shabda* as a distinct Means of Cognition can be acknowledged only by those who regard the *Veda* as *Eternal*, and not the work of an author. (See below)